Travis Hunter scripts history for Colorado bagging Paul Hornung Award as the most versatile player in college football

Colorado's star two-way player Travis Hunter has been an incredible asset for the team this season both on offense and defense. The 20-year-old followed the footsteps of coach Deion Sanders and QB Shedeur Sanders to join them in Boulder this season.

Because of his incredible talent and statistics, Travis Hunter has been named as the recipient of the 2023 Paul Hornung Award. The award is conferred on the most versatile player of the country annually by the Louisville Sports Commission, in honor of College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Paul Hornung.

In a press release made by CU, Hunter went on to thank the Louisville Sports Commission for the award. He also extended his warm gratitude to "Coach Prime" for allowing him to play both ways and to his teammates for their constant support on and off the field:

"I would like to thank the Louisville Sports Commission for this award. Paul Hornung accomplished many great things that I also want to accomplish, and to be given the award in his name is truly amazing. I'd like to thank all my teammates for their support and Coach Prime for the opportunity to play both ways and do whatever I can to help the Colorado Buffaloes."

Travis Hunter became the first player in 21 years to win a major award for the Colorado Buffaloes. The last major award was won by Mark Mariscal, who won the 2002 Ray Guy Award.

Hunter compiled incredible statistics on both sides of the ball in his Colorado debut campaign. On defense as a CB, he put up 30 tackles and three INTs. And on offense as a WR, Hunter had recorded 721 receiving yards and five TDs for the team. Despite missing out on three games due to an injury against Colorado State, Hunter played 566 snaps on defense and 436 on offense.

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Deion Sanders heaps praise on Travis Hunter

"Coach Prime" released a statement on Wednesday in which he went on to applaud Travis Hunter and his skills. Sanders said that Hunter is a "generational" player and believes that the 20-year-old still has a lot to showcase in the coming days:

"Travis is a special player, a generational player, who has changed the game. We had to find ways to utilize him to the best of his ability on both sides of the ball, where we could utilize his strength and be a force. Thank you to the Selection Committee for seeing in Travis what we do, not only that he's a tremendous player, but also a tremendous person. Travis hasn't reached his full potential as of yet and his best is still to come."

Deion Sanders concluded his debut season with the Buffs by compiling a 4-8 overall record. He will now be focusing on using the transfer portal to add more talents to the team before starting a new journey as a part of the Big 12 in 2024.